Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-06-10

TO get view Of rs with one eye II seemed
that their queen 80 rarely appeared Ia public
that they were willing TO undergo this inron'
venence and even grcnter risks to have ths
opportunity of looking on her--or rather OF
her garments, for no living man there except
myself had ever seen her face. At last we
caught sight of the waving Of lights and heard
the tramp of men coming along the passage,
and IN filed tho guard, and with them the
survivors of our would be murderers, to the
number of q score or more, on whose coun'
tcnances tho natural expression of sullenness
struggled with tho terror that evidently filled
their savage hearts. They were ranged In
front Of the dais aud would have cast them.
selves down on the floor of the cavo like the
spectators, but she stopped them.
"Nay," she said in her softest voice, stand;
Ipray ye stand. Perhaps the time shall soon
DO when ye shall grow weary of being
stretched OUT" and she laughed inelodiously.
saw crhge of terror run along the rank
of the poor doomed wretches, and, wicked
villains as they were, / felt sorry for them.
Some minutes, perhaps two or three, passed
before anything fresh occurred, during which
She appeared, from tho movement of her
head--for, of course, we could not sec her
eyes-to be slowly and carefully examining
each delinquent. AT last sho spoke, address
ing herself 10 me in quiet and deliberate
tone: ..-.-,t.. ...
"Dost thou, o my guest, who art known in
thy country by the name of the Prickly Tree,
recognize these menP
SAY, o queen, nearly all of them" said.
and saw them glover at me ms l said ii.
II oil
whereof have hoardn
Thus adjured, l, in as few words as could.
related the history Of tho cannibal feast, and
of tho attempted torture of our poor servant
Tho narrative was received in perfect silence
both by the accused and by the audience, and
aL'o by She herself When had done, Ayesha
called upon Billali by name, and lifting hi;
head from the ground, but without rising
the old man confirmed my story. No further
evidence was taken.
aye have heard,n said She at length, in
cold, clear voice, very different from her
usual tones; indeed, It was one Of the most
remarkable things about this extraordinary
creature that her voice had the power OF suit
ing itself in a wonderful manner to the mood
of the moment "Whnt have ye to say, ys
rebellious children, why vengeance should
not be done upon YER
For some time there was no answer, but al
last one of the men, u fine, broad chested
fellow, well on in middle life with deer
craven features and an eye like a hawks
spoke, and said that the orders that they had
received were not TO harm the white men,
nothing was said Of their black servant, so,
egged on thereto by n woman who was now
dead they proceeded to try to hot pot him
after the ancient and honorable custom OF
their country, with view of eating him in
due course. As for their attack upon our.
selves, 1t was made in an access OF sudden
fury, and they deeply regretted it. He ended
by humbly praying that mercy might be ex
tended to them, or at least that they might
be banished into the swanIps, to live or
die as it might chance; but 1 saw on his
face that he had but little hope of mercy.
Then came pause, and tho most Intense
silence reigned over the whole scene, which,
illuminated as 1t was by the Pickering lamps
that struck out broad patterns of light and
shadow upon the rocky. walls, was us strange
a one as l ever saw, even i'll that weird land
There, seated in her barbaric chnir above
them all, with myself at her feet, was the
yelled white woman, whose awesome power
seemed to shine about her like u halo. Never
have seen her vailed shape look more terri
BILE than it did in that space, while she gath
cred herself up, as it were, foi vengeance.
At last it came.
"Dogs and serpents," She began in a low
voice that gradually gathered power as she
went on, till the place rang with it, "eaters OF
human flesh, two things have ye done. First,
We have attacked these strangers, being white
men, and would have slain their servant, and
for that alone death is your reward. But
that is not ALL YehaYe dared to disobcy me.
Did not send my word unto ye by Billali,
my servant, and tue father of your house
holdl Hath it not been taught to yo from
childhood that the law of She is an ever fixed
law, and that he who brealleth it by so much
as one jot or little shall perishl And is not
my lghtest word lnwl Have not your
fathers taught We this, say, whilst as yet we
were but children! Well do yo know it, ye
wicked ones. But ye are all evil-evil TO the
core; the wickedness bubbles up in ye like a
fountain in the spring time. And now be-
cause We have done this thing, because yehavs
strivcn TO put these men, my guests, to death,
and yet more because We have dared to dis
obey my word this is the doom that doom
ye TO: That yo be taken TO the cave of tor
ture, and given overto the torturers TO wreak
their will upon ye and that on the going
down Of to-Inorruw's sun thoae of ye who yet
remain alive be sluin by the hot pot, as yc
would have slain the servant of this my
guest"
She ceased and a faint murmur, of horror
ran round the cave. As for the Victims Us
soon as they realized the full hideousness OF
their doom their stocism forsoo1 them, and
they flung themselves down upon the ground
and wept and implored for mercy in way
that was dreadful 10 behold. ], too, turned to
Ayesha and begged her to spare them, or at
leust to mete out their fate In some less awful
way. But she was hard as adainant about it.
my Holly" She said, again speaking in
Greek, which, to tell the truth, although l
have always been considered as good scholar
OF the language as most, 1 found it rather
difficult to follow, chiefly because OF tho
change in the fall OF the accent-Ayesha, OF
course, talked with the accent of her con-
temporaries, whereas we have only tradition
and the modern accent to guide us as to the
exact pronunciation-'tmyH Holly, it cannot
be- Were 1 to show mercy to those wolves
your lives would not be safe among this
people for day. Thou knowest them not.
They are tigers to lap blood, and even now
they hunger after your lives. How thinkest
thou that rule this peoplel l have but n
regiment of guards to do my bidding, there
fore it is not by force 1t is by terror. Nay,
the men must die, and die as / have said"
Then turning suddenly to the captain of tho
guard, "My word is spoken-let my doom DO
done" .t sf..s. go
n CHAPTER XVI. l., or 81 Il
THE ToMBs OF KoR.
After the prisoners had been removed,